Qalandia

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Qalandia ( Arabic قلنديا, DMG Qalandiyā , Hebrew קלנדיה), also Qalandiya or Kalandia , is a Palestinian village in the West Bank between Jerusalem and Ramallah . It is located not far from the eastern parish boundary of Jerusalem. In 2006, around 1,154 people lived in Qalandia, according to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics . Qalandia is also the name of a refugee camp established by UNRWA in 1949 . The Qalandia refugee camp was founded by Palestinian refugees from Lydda , Ramle and Jerusalem from the Nakba .

In the area of ​​Qalandia there are finds that go back to ancient times. Here, the Qalandia airport, the first airport in Palestine, was built. As a result of the conflict between Israel and Palestine, the refugee camp was set up here and the area has been occupied by Israel since 1967 as a result of the Six Day War. There is a large border crossing here, where access controls are carried out for passenger traffic between the Palestinian territories and East Jerusalem. The movement of goods takes place further northeast via the Ofer crossing .

Current situation

Division of Qalandia into areas inside and outside the wall, separated by the airport and Kafr 'Aqab

The (currently closed) airport was connected by Israel as Jerusalem Airport Atarot to the municipal area of ​​Jerusalem and is now separated from the village by the separating wall running right next to the runway . The western part of the village is completely enclosed by the wall, the part between Jerusalem and the airport is separated as the Atarot industrial zone. Only the eastern part with the refugee camp is freely accessible in the autonomous area.

Also outside the wall is the neighboring town of Kafr 'Aqab , which 90% belongs to Jerusalem, but is not adequately administered due to its location. While the residents pay community taxes (Arnona) to Jerusalem, the city hardly offers any community services. The police , who are only allowed to operate with the help of border guards , are neglecting the place, the Palestinian police are not allowed to enter the area. Conditions are therefore chaotic on Ramallah Street, the main road between the border and Ramallah.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Projected Mid-Year Population for Jerusalem Governorate by Locality 2004–2006 . accessed on December 26, 2019.
  2. ↑ Kalandia Refugee Camp . accessed on December 27, 2019.
  3. ↑ Topography . Text archive - Internet Archive .
  4. ↑ Gideon Biger: An Empire in the Holy Land: Historical Geography of the British administration of Palestine, 1917-1929 . St. Martin's Press and Magnes Press, New York / Jerusalem 1994, p. 152.
  5. ↑ Kalandia Refugee Camp . accessed on December 26, 2019.
  6. ↑ A high-tech facelift takes the sting out of an Israeli checkpoint - but not out of the occupation . accessed on December 26, 2019.
  7. ↑ Jerusalem's no man's land: Chaos and anarchy in the Kafr Aqab neighborhood , Times of Israel on June 6, 2019

Coordinates: 31 ° 52 '  N , 35 ° 12'  E